"You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake"

Jux · 08-27-2008, 02:29 PM

Is your kid really gifted? Probably not - CNN.com

Quote:

Did your child walk and talk early? Does she have a brain like a sponge? Scribble magnificently? Love learning? Ask questions that leave you marveling (and scrambling to Google an answer)?

You can't make your child be gifted, but you can help your kid reach his or her potential.

Wow, clearly she's a genius!

Or, um, maybe not.

"Gifted" has become one of the most tossed-about words in the parenting lexicon. Unfortunately -- sorry, but let's get this out of the way right up front -- it's also one of the most misused.

The vast majority of children are not gifted. Only 2 to 5 percent of kids fit the bill, by various estimates. Of those, only one in 100 is considered highly gifted. Prodigies (those wunderkinds who read at 2 and go to college at 10) are rarer still -- like one to two in a million. And despite the boom in infant-stimulation techniques, educational DVDs, learning toys, and enrichment classes, those numbers haven't been increasing. You can't build giftedness; it's mostly built in.
(continued at link above)

Dark_Convoy · 08-27-2008, 02:33 PM

You are the all singing all dancing shit of the world.

Kickback · 08-27-2008, 02:35 PM

I plan to have my child cooking me dinner by age 3. And it won't be because he/she is gifted, but because of the grueling torture I plan to put them through from birth to age 3.

seeker311 · 08-27-2008, 02:35 PM

thank you, finally someone says it to the public. Im sick of seeing parents go on and on how their children are the gifted and talented kind. The reality is that most people are getting dumber and thats why they stick out.

Takara_destron · 08-27-2008, 02:36 PM

And the bubble is burst

Aernaroth · 08-27-2008, 02:42 PM

I am jack's mild sense of ennui.

Dark_Convoy · 08-27-2008, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seeker311

thank you, finally someone says it to the public. Im sick of seeing parents go on and on how their children are the gifted and talented kind. The reality is that most people are getting dumber and thats why they stick out.

Everyone just wants to think their kids are "the best", I mean, I'm proud of my children, one plays violin pretty well, one always gets on the honor roll, one is a very good artist and the youngest has a very well developed sense of humor. But some parents take this shit way too far, I certainly don't think I am raising a violin maestro, the next Albert Einstein, the next Picasso and a comedic genius.

People need to learn they can still be proud of their children without them being "exceptionally gifted" or some kind of prodigy.

ams · 08-27-2008, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark_Convoy

People need to learn they can still be proud of their children without them being "exceptionally gifted" or some kind of prodigy.

Thank you.

My three-year-old is social, funny, bright, loves to read, loves Disney movies, dressing up and playing outside. And I'll take a happy, well-balanced kid over a prodigy any day.

And I qualified for all those gifted and advanced placement courses in school, but I wasn't interested in working or applying myself at the time, so it meant nothing. I liked girls and playing music, so that's where my efforts went.

RabidYak · 08-27-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kickback

I plan to have my child cooking me dinner by age 3. And it won't be because he/she is gifted, but because of the grueling torture I plan to put them through from birth to age 3.

Why not just buy a child slave from the third world? Its probably cheaper then maintaining a woman for 9 months and you wont be liable for support payments if you throw it out on the street early.

toma · 08-27-2008, 04:19 PM

yeah, my kids are awesome, but i'm not interested in putting that type of pressure on them. i totally know what it's like. i taught myself to read when i was 3 and i was put ahead a few grades in school. by the time i was in junior high, i was at least 2 years younger than everyone else in my class, and constantly being picked on by the other kids. i started hating school, my grades fell, and i totally underachieved all through high school. i didn't any time at all on homework or studying, and spent most of my own stuff. i still made it through, but i didn't exactly get these great marks where i excelled.